Team Record Should Not Be Indication of All-Star Selection

One of the biggest debates in the first half of the season has been whether Kevin Love and Blake Griffin should be on the Western Conference All-Star team. The two players are rising stars, and are arguably the best forwards in the conference. The big obstacle standing in their way is the fact they play on two of the worst teams in the NBA.

Blake Griffin is becoming more and more of a lock for Rookie of the Year as each day passes. Griffin is second only to Kevin Love this season with 33 double doubles, and poured in 47 points Monday night against the Pacers. In addition, Griffin has provided enough highlight material with his acrobatic dunks to keep everyone buzzing for months to come.

Kevin Love is currently leading the league in both rebounding and double doubles. Love is averaging 16 boards a game, and has already accumulated 37 double doubles. In a November game against the Knicks, Love finished with 31 points and 31 rebounds. It was the first 30-30 game in the NBA since the early 1980s.

Based on these gaudy statistics and accomplishments, both players should be selected to the All-Star team in a heartbeat. On the flip side, the Clippers are currently 15-25 (but are playing much better the last 15 games) and the Wolves are 10-32.

The last time I checked,Grififn and Love are having these monumental seasons against the other studs in the NBA. They are not doing it against their teammates. So, doesn’t this make team records irrelevant when selecting the All-Star team. Frankly, the excuse is getting old. Last time I checked, the All-Star team was based on individual accomplishments. If Grififn and/or Love do not make the team it should be because the Western Conference is loaded with star forwards.

At this point, I believe that one of the two players will be selected to the team. I would personally give the nod to Kevin Love. The NBA has not seen someone rebound the way Love is since Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone were crashing the boards. Not to mention, his offensive game is nothing to sneeze at. Love is currently averaging 21 points a game.

Whether both, on or neither of the players is selected to the All-Star team next month it will hopefully be because another player beat them for the spot, and not because they play on teams with atrocious records.

Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.